Playlists For the Boomer Generation

We may look back affectionately on our record collections but nothing beats the quality and accessibility of digital music. Online music services like I-Tunes and Rhapsody give us access to music we remember but lost and even more tunes we never knew existed. For almost forty years, rock music fans have consumed their music through albums, 8-tracks, cassettes or CD’s. Albums are still released but the digital teens of today are more inclined to pick and download their own playlists. Listening to a new compact disc from end to end is just so “nineties.” With that thought in mind, I offer the following playlists for your listening pleasure. I admit up front that they show my bias for 60’s and 70’s music. Put together a few of these playlists yourself; load up your IPOD, sit back and enjoy the ride. Best Soul You Haven’t Heard (Take a break from Motown): Billy Stewart – I Do Love You; Little Richard – Milky White Way; Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come; Solomon Burke – Cry To Me; Wilson Pickett – Hey Jude; James Brown – Begging Begging; Ray Charles –Mess Around; Elvis Presley – Reconsider Baby; Erma Franklin – Piece of My Heart; Otis Redding – Respect. Heavy Seventies Revisited (Tune up your air guitar for this set): Alice Cooper-School’s Out; Aerosmith – Dream On; Jump! – Van Halen; Black Sabbath – Iron Man; Blue Oyster Cult – Don’t Fear The Reaper; Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever; Grand Funk Railroad - We’re An American Band; Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good; Meat Loaf – Bat Out of He--; Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water. Ten Country Classics Worth Revisiting (Corny country is cool once again): Buck Owens – Act Naturally; George Jones – The Race Is On; Tammy Wynette – I Don’t Want To Play House; Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn – After The Fire Is Gone; Faron Young – Hello Walls; Floyd Cramer – Last Date; Merle Haggard – Mama Tried; Johnny Cash – Get Rhythm; Johnny Horton – Golden Rocket; Wanda Jackson – Let’s Have a Party. Ten Guilty Pleasure Songs (Sing alongs when you’re alone): Chad & Jeremy – A Summer Song; Jonathan King – Everyone’s Gone To The Moon; The Vogues – Turn Around Look At Me; Association – Cherish; Cowsills – The Rain, The Park & Other Things; Spanky & Our Gang – Like To Get To Know You; Carpenters – We’ve Only Just Begun; Tom Jones – It’s Not Unusual; Mamas & Papas – Monday Monday; Jackson Five – Got To Be There. Ten Beatle Songs Worth Revisiting (This list is only about 50 songs too short): There’s A Place; I’m Happy Just To Dance With You; Don’t Bother Me; Honey Don’t; Bad Boy; In My Life; It’s All Too Much ; I Want You; Revolution 1; One After 909. Ten Unlikely Number One Hits (Somebody must have bought these records, did you?): New Vaudeville Band – Winchester Cathedral; Chuck Berry – My Ding A Ling; Ringo –Lorne Greene; The Singing Nun – Dominique; Kyu Sakamoto – Sukiyaki; Ray Stevens – The Streak; Sammy Davis Jr. – Candy Man; Paul Mariat – Love Is Blue; David Rose – The Stripper; Frank and Nancy Sinatra – Something Stupid. Ten Maximum Volume Albums (Turn your amplifier up to 11 for these): Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin I; King Crimson – Court of the Crimson King; Allman Brothers – Live At Fillmore East; Derek & The Dominos – Layla; Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon; The Who – Quadrophenia; Santana – Abraxys; Little Feat – Waiting For Columbus; U2 – Rattle & Hum. Dust Off These Oldies (Under the radar in the late 50’s and early 60’s): Ronnie Self – Ain’t I’m A Dog; Chuck Berry – Too Much Monkey Business; Ivan – Real Wild Child; Don & Juan – What’s Your Name; Jive Five – What Time Is It; Elvis Presley – Guitar Man; Jerry Lee Lewis –Meat Man; Janis Martin – My Boy Elvis; Vito & The Salutations – Unchained Melody. Send comments to flipside@tx.rr.com or post here.